Dad and baby

Model Profiles

Parent-Child Assistance Program

Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP)’s primary goals are to help mothers with alcohol and drug use disorders achieve and maintain recovery, build healthy family lives, and prevent the births of subsequent alcohol- or drug-exposed infants. The PCAP model is based on relational theory, motivational interviewing, and harm reduction principles to build trusting relationships with mothers, help participants identify goals and take incremental steps to meet them, connect families with comprehensive community services, and enhance maternal self-efficacy.

What is the model’s approach to providing home visiting services?

Home visits take place twice per month, with a higher frequency during times of family need. Services are provided for a duration of 3 years. Families may enroll until the child is 12 months old (or 24 months when space allows), but PCAP recommends families initiate services prenatally.

PCAP’s service population includes the following:

  • Families with a history of substance use or in need of treatment
  • Families with low incomes
  • Expectant caregivers
  • Caregivers disconnected from community service providers

Who is implementing the model?

Home Visitors

PCAP was implemented by 91 full-time equivalent (FTE) home visitors in 2022. The model requires a bachelor’s degree for home visitors. The maximum caseload requirement for home visitors is 20 families.

Supervisors

PCAP was implemented by 12.8 FTE supervisors in 2022. The model recommends at least a bachelor’s degree for supervisors.

Where is the model implemented?

PCAP operated in 19 local agencies across 5 states in 2022. PCAP also operated outside the United States and its territories in Australia and Canada in 2022.

 

Families Served Through Home Visiting in 2022

6,506
home visits provided
1,387
families served
1,387
children served

Ethnicity

16% Hispanic or Latino

84% Not Hispanic or Latino

Caregiver age

9% ≤21 years

42% 22-29 years

49% 30-44 years

<1% ≥45 years

Caregiver education

35% No HS diploma

47% HS diploma or GED

16% Some college or training

2% Bachelor's degree or higher

Child insurance status

97% Public

3% Private

0% None

Household income

98% Low-income status

2% Not low-income status

Child age

95% <1 year

4% 1-2 years

<1% 3-5 years

Primary language

100% English

0% Spanish

0% Another language

Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. • To protect confidentiality, race and ethnicity categories with 10 or fewer caregivers were replaced with *.